


Child of Teague

by ReinbewPastel



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies), Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow - Rob Kidd
Genre: Gen, Young Jack Sparrow, jack sparrow books, pirates of the caribbean - Freeform, rob kidd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:20:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27485656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReinbewPastel/pseuds/ReinbewPastel
Summary: Before the Black Pearl, before the Barnacle...there was a young Jack Sparrow and his home life adventures with a family of cutthroats.This fic is a direct prequel to the Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow book series. Much of it are ideas BroadwayNerdd and I threw at each other, and much of it is also referenced off of all the research I did from Jack Sparrow: Sins of the Father, Legends of the Brethren Court: Wild Waters, and mainly Price of Freedom, as well as multiple Wikia articles, to stay as true to the canon as possible. Although some it may be off canon or taken some artistic liberty of since it is a fan fiction.Originally published in 2019.Fanfiction by me, Reinbew PastelPirates of the Caribbean Jack Sparrow by Rob Kidd © Disney Press
Relationships: Jack Sparrow/OC
Kudos: 7





	1. Prologue

One of the most popular places for pirates in the Caribbean was the island of Shipwreck Cove. It was situated in a crater of a volcano in the middle of Shipwreck Island. Residing in it was Shipwreck City, a safe haven for pirates. Much of it was built out of a mountain of hundreds of shipwrecks. Each one piled on top of another. Many of those which were converted into taverns, brothels, gaming parlors, and combinations alike. Some were also converted into houses, each filled with pirates, cutthroats, and scoundrels.  
  
One of the more notable pirates that lived there was young Captain Edward Teague. The Pirate Lord of Madagascar, and as of recently, the Keeper of the Pirate Code. He shuffled his way through the crowds of the hustling and bustling city, seeming to be in a rush to get somewhere. He hurried up the streets toward one of the upper levels of the city where the Great Chamber, also known as Pirate Hall, resides, where the _Pirata Codex_ was kept. The Chamber was formed by two abandoned ship hulks. The upper levels were where the family lived.  
  
It was fully functional as a house with a living area, kitchen, a couple bedrooms, and a rarely used bathing room. On the deck of the former ships was the Captain’s Cabin where the leader of the household slept in. Although it was only built for three, maybe four people at most, the entire family of pirates, criminals, thieves, convicts, and pillagers were all cramped in there. Every night, everyone in the family was sprawled out throughout the living area and kitchen passed out drunk.  
  
Teague walked up the stairs in the back of the Great Chamber into the empty living room. Cries could be heard from another room. Just as Teague was about to go investigate, the door to one of the bedrooms upstairs slammed open and out came a short, frightening elderly woman.  
  
She, of course, was also a (former) pirate lord and also Teague’s mother. Deep wrinkles appeared throughout her face and a bright red bandana covered her thick gray curls. Her jaw was set and anger sparkled in her dark black eyes as she stomped down the creaking staircase. In one hand was a gleaming wooden cane with a very sharp sword inside, and in the other was the hand of a small boy who she dragged out of the room. He appeared to be no older than three or four. He had shaggy black hair, deep brown eyes, a slightly dirty face, and his clothes although not completely tattered, were dirtied as well.  
  
The old woman yanked the boy by the arm toward Teague and the boy ran and hugged his leg.  
  
“You’d best learn to keep your filthy, troublemaker boy under control, Teague,” the woman snarled in a strong husky voice. “He’s worse than you when you were his age.”  
  
“What can I say? I’m the gift that keeps on giving,” Teague teased. “One of these days, Jackie here will have one of his own just like him and I.”  
  
“Bold of you to assume she’ll live long enough to see that,” young Jack quipped, trying to hide the still frightened tone in his voice.  
  
Jack felt a small smack upside the head from Teague’s hand. He rubbed his head as his eyes gazed over to see the threatening look of his dear old Grandmama. He felt her sharp eyes pierce his soul. She bared her gritted false teeth revealing two gold teeth and a tooth with a ruby set in it, which always gave Jack nightmares. To him, it looked as if she had a spot of blood in her teeth. Jack shrank back in fear under Teague’s red coat. Grandmama then huffed and stormed out of the room.


	2. Jack the Sparrow

The _Troubadour_ had sailed on for a couple weeks on its way toward Madagascar. Little Jack had spent the whole trip below decks as Teague hadn’t allowed Jack up on the main deck with him and the rest of the crew. Although Jack never questioned it knowing no better for a kid his age, it was known in the crew that Teague feared Jack would get into things or fall off the ship. He still always liked to look out at the sea from one of the portholes and fantasize about being behind the wheel of his own ship and feeling the wind and the spray of the sea in his face. Something about that gave him a feeling he could never exactly put into words.  
  
Meanwhile up on deck, Teague was barking orders at his crew. He then stopped in his tracks as he took notice of another ship coming from afar. He went up to the railing and took out his spyglass. Teague could make out the men running up and down the deck. The spyglass then made its way up the mainmast to the top.  
  
_A Royal Navy flag!_ Teague snapped the spyglass shut and turned to his crew.  
  
“All hands! The Royal Navy is on the horizon. Steady course to the opposite direction!” Captain Teague commanded.  
  
“Aye, Cap’n!” The crew all scurried across the ship as Teague went up to the helm, took the wheel and spun it around.  
  
  
  
After a while, a port city was in sight. From below, Jack had watched the island grow closer and closer through the porthole. The ship officially docked and Jack watched as some of the crew walked off the gangplank and into the town to pick up more supplies. The hatch swung open and Jack turned in a startle. Teague came down the stairs and knelt down to Jack’s eye level.  
  
“You know what to do, Jackie,” Teague said motioning up toward the deck. Jack’s eyes lit up knowing he’ll finally get to help his father.  
  
Teague picked up the young boy and brought him out to the deck. Teague quietly rushed down the gangplank and to the dock with the boy laying in his arms limply. The dock master quickly spotted Teague as he ran past him.  
  
“Hey, You!” the dock master called out running after him. “Stop right there!”  
  
“Sorry, sir. I do—“ Teague apologized rushing down the dock with the boy still in his arms.  
  
“You know it is five shillings to dock your ship here,” the dock master demanded as he caught up with Teague and stepped in front of him.  
  
“Can you see my boy here is very sick? He’s not going to live much longer if he doesn’t get the help he needs,” Little Jack let out a little cough and Teague looked up with sadness in his eyes.  
  
“Oh, my apologies, sir,” the dock master relented. “Take care of your child.”  
  
Teague thanked the man and made his way off the dock into the town. Once he was sure he was out of sight from the dock master, he put Jack down back onto his feet.  
  
“Did I do good, da’?” Jack asked.  
  
Teague huffed in response. He took Jack’s hand and went off to catch up with the group going out to get supplies.  
  
  
  
Young Jack sat on a large crate as he watched some of the crew load supplies onto the _Troubadour_. He was instructed to stay put on the crate and Teague threatened severe consequences if Jack even moved a foot.  
  
Jack also watched other ships come in and out of the port. One particular ship coming in looked familiar to him but he couldn’t put a finger on it. The ship docked quite a ways away down the dock. Squinting his eyes, Jack can barely make out what the men were wearing. He noticed that their clothes looked much nicer than what he is used to seeing, and they all were wearing red. He watched as the men quickly departed the ship and dispersed.  
  
Jack looked back at the _Troubadour_ , focusing on all the details in the lines and the ropes spiraling up the mast. Most kids his age didn’t normally know how to read very well if at all, in fact many grown adults where he’s from weren’t very literate, but with having a ton of time on his hands, especially when he was on Teague’s ship, he taught himself how to read and write. He enjoyed going through the selves in the Captain’s cabin and reading all the books about the workings of a ship and how a crew operated. Even before he could read, he liked to look at all the pictures in them.  
  
Jack shook himself from his thoughts and gazed back over to the town. His gaze detected a man in red, just like the others he saw in before. He appeared to be an officer of some sort. The man stuck out like a sore thumb against the town and he just stood there smiling at Jack. He didn’t know if the man was smiling at him or at someone or something nearby. He looked around to make sure and he gave a weak smile back at the man before drifting his eyes to another part of the town and back at his ship. Teague was nowhere to be seen in the ship or the dock.  
  
By curiosity, Jack looked back at the town and the red coated man was still there smiling. This time, he gave a little wave and Jack shyly waved back. The man started to gesture as if he wanted Jack to come to him.  
  
Jack knew he was forbidden to move from the crate but the man was persistent. Jack looked around the dock and the ship again to make sure Teague wasn’t present. He then hopped off the crate landing on the wood with a little thud and walked down the dock toward the town. Jack spotted the man still smiling at him and walked up to him. The man took off his hat and knelt down on one knee to Jack’s eye level.  
  
“Hello there,” the man greeted, the smile never leaving his face. His voice sounded otherwise. Almost nastily or snobbish, although he tried to sound nice.  
  
“Hi.”  
  
“May I ask, what is your name?”  
  
A feeling that something was wrong—a feeling of dread came upon Jack. Something didn’t feel right about this man, but he felt like he couldn’t turn back now.  
  
“J-Jack,” Jack replied, not looking at the man in the eye.  
  
“How old are you?” the man asked.  
  
Jack didn’t say anything but he held up three fingers.  
  
“Jackie!” another voice boomed above Jack. His eyes grew wide. He held his breath and looked up. Teague was looming over Jack. The anger in his eyes was hidden under the shadow of his bicorne.  
  
“What did I tell you about talking to strangers, boy?” Although he was upset with Jack, Teague’s voice sounded more disappointed than angry.  
  
Jack peeped out a quick “Sorry!” and shrunk back behind Teague. Before they knew it, they were surrounded by dozens of navy men with their guns cocked. The man, who is the admiral, was already back up on his feet and a smirk on his face.  
  
“Fancy seeing you here, Captain Teague,” the admiral sneered. Teague didn’t say anything. He just gave the admiral a cold look.  
  
“Teague!” Teague heard another voice behind him. It was his old friend Joshamee Gibbs! Although he was a sailor in the Royal Navy, he was always very lenient to pirates.  
  
“Joshamee!” Teague quickly turned to the admiral. “Excuse me for a moment,” Teague stepped back and drew his attention to Joshamee.  
  
“It’s been too long, Teague!” Joshamee exclaimed. “How’ve you been?”  
  
“Couldn’t be much better,” Teague responded flatly.  
  
Teague took Jack, who was hiding behind his coat, by the arm and pulled him to the front. “Jackie, you remember Joshamee, don’t ya?”  
  
Jack looked up at Joshamee in confusion.  
  
“I don’t know,” Jack answered. He felt Teague’s hand squeezed his arm tightly. He probably didn’t say the right thing.  
  
“Umm...you look different,” Jack then felt a slap upside the head.  
  
“Jackie! He’s a family friend!” Teague scolded.  
  
“So?”  
  
“My apologies, Joshamee,” Teague apologized. “Assuming what I think is going to happen is going to happen,” Teague looked down at Jack worriedly and back to Joshamee with a stern look on his face. “I don’t want the boy to be a part of this. In some how or some way, bring Jackie back to Shipwreck Cove immediately.”  
  
“Aye, Cap’n,” Joshamee responded. “I’ll bring the boy back home somehow. Come on, Jack,” He turned to Jack with a hand out. Jack took his hand and they both walked away, with Jack occasionally looking back at his father.  
  
Teague then turned back to the admiral.  
  
“I knew luring your child here would summon you,” the admiral declared smugly.  
  
“He is _not_ my child,” Teague said in a stern voice as he furrowed his brow. It pained him having those words come out of his mouth. “He’s the cabin boy.”  
  
“Oh? Well he looks awfully young to be a cabin boy,” the admiral scoffed, raising one eyebrow.  
  
“You didn’t let me finish. He’s a cabin boy in _training_.”  
  
“Well, I hope that welp of yours decides to choose the right path and never follow in your footsteps,”  
  
“You can do what you want with me and my crew, but let me tell you. Never, and I mean NEVER lay a single hand on that boy EVER. Savvy?” Teague growled.  
  
The admiral turned Teague around and cuffed his wrists in shackles. He grabbed Teague by the arm turned to the rest of the naval crew.  
  
“Men, go to the pirate’s ship and take the rest of the crew too,” the admiral commanded.  
  
“I very much look forward to your hanging... _pirate_!” the admiral last said before escorting Teague to the naval ship to throw him in the brig.  
  
  
  
It has been several days, or weeks since Jack was brought back to Shipwreck City. Everyday, young Jack would look out the window of the living area to watch ships coming through Devil’s Throat, the cave ships must come through to enter Shipwreck Cove that reportedly claims several vessels each year. There had yet to be any sign of his father. He hated being stuck with Grandmama and the rest of his family alone.  
  
Jack sat at the porthole window half asleep. His eyes shot open when the next ship came through the cave. The _Troubadour_?! As it came closer, he was able to confirm it was indeed Teague.  
  
Jack jumped up from the window and excitedly ran down the stairs and down the streets of the city, eventually making it to the bottom of the mountain of ship hulks and to their usual dock just in time for the _Troubadour_ to barely arrive. Once the ship was tied to the dock, the gangplank lowered and all of Teague’s crew departed the ship. Every single one of them looked exhausted and their clothes all were shuffled out of place even more than they usually are. Captain Teague was the last to walk down the gangplank, and like the rest of his crew, he looked pretty bad off himself, in fact even worse. It’s as if he had been through hell and back.  
  
Teague spotted Jack running toward him and he knelt down onto his knees.  
  
“Da’!” Jack ran and embraced Teague.  
  
Instead of hugging back or saying anything, not even a “How have you been?” or “I’ve missed you!”, Teague didn’t do anything. Jack let go of his embrace and stared at Teague, expecting him to say something. Teague gently put his hand on the boy’s face and looked at him in the eye.  
  
“No. No ‘dad’. It’s Teague.”  
  
Jack’s face fell and the happiness in his eyes dulled into a look of disappointment. Teague then pulled himself back onto his feet and started to make his way back home, with Jack following suit.  
  
  
  
Later in the evening, Teague watched Jack play outside with Captain “Ace” Brannigan, or referred to as Uncle Ace by Jack. He felt someone come up beside him. It was his brother who also named Jack, or known as Uncle Jack.  
  
“How’re ye doin there, brother?” Uncle Jack asked.  
  
“Not sure,” replied Teague. “Jackie can’t be my son anymore.”  
  
“So yer disowning him?”  
  
“My name is out there—being an infamous pirate and all. If everyone, especially the Royal Navy and the East India Trading Company, knows he’s my son, they’re all going to do something really bad to him. So no, I’m not disowning the boy. No one can know he’s my kid out of his own safety.”  
  
“Well then. If he’s technically not going to be yer kid anymore, at least not to everyone else, yer goin’ to need to change his name—or his last name at least.”  
  
“Hmm...” Teague looked out the window again.  
  
Little Jack looked so happy playing with his uncle. Teague felt ashamed for having to do this, but like he said, he’s not disowning him. Jack is still technically part of the family and Teague still intended to raise him like his own, it just won’t be known that Teague is directly Jack’s father anymore, and it’s for the best that not even Jack himself should really know either. Uncle Jack is right though, Jack did need a name change, and he needed one fast. Having “Teague” attached to his name it will look really bad on him.  
  
Outside, Brannigan disappeared for a moment, and came back with a little bird in his hands and knelt down to Jack. Jack cupped his hands and Brannigan put the little bird in them. Jack’s eyes shone with fascination as he held the little bird in his hands. Teague smiled as he watched through the window, thinking about the different types of birds; _canary,...robin,...swallow,...sparrow..._  
  
_Sparrow..._ At that moment, an idea popped into Teague’s head.  
  
“Jack, I think I’ve figured out what Jackie’s new last name is going to be,” Teague determined.  
  
“Aye? What’ll it be?” Uncle Jack asked.  
  
**_“Jack Sparrow!”_**


	3. Whelp of Teague

Seven-year-old Jack Sparrow spent much of his time in his home above the Great Chamber. As much as he was encouraged to go out and play with other kids around his age, Jack mainly preferred to play on his own. He wasn’t well liked amongst most of the younger pirates in Shipwreck City, but he was never aware of it or saw it as an issue. Even Cousin Valerie, the only one in his family who was the closest to Jack’s age, looked down upon him.  
  
Jack mainly did chores when he was at home or on a ship. One of them was to feed the prison dog Teague employed no longer than a year or two ago to hold the keys to the _Pirata Codex_ and all the dungeons in Shipwreck Cove. That was after the incident when the key ring was stolen from the spot it was hidden at, though it didn’t take very long for Teague to catch the thief. That dog sure did have a taste for rum though! During the times when he wasn’t doing chores, little Jack played games by himself or he’d read books.  
  
Eventually when he got too cooped up or tired of his family, he would sneak outside when no one was looking and explore the island. Each time he went out, it was like a new adventure. He would find secret little inlets and beaches to explore and play in. Sometimes when it was a hot day at those beaches, Jack would shuck off his clothes, jump in the water, and went swimming for a good hour or so. After every new adventure, Jack always made sure to be home before sunset so nobody would notice he was gone.  
  
Two or three times a week, Teague would bring Jack to his favorite brothel for what he told Jack, “for business”. Teague walked through the front door with Jack and was immediately greeted by the brothel girls. Teague excused himself to go freshen up and the girls turned to Jack and cooed how adorable he was. The main girl with the red hair, Madam Lavina knelt down to Jack. She held up her hand to reveal a nice, big, tasty looking chocolate square.  
  
“Hi Jack! Would you like a chocolate?” Lavina offered in a nice, happy tone, enunciating very vowel.  
  
Jack scrunched up his nose. He hated it when grown ups talked to him in that sing-songy happy tone with a stupid fake smile on their face, trying to pronounce every syllable clearly as if they think he is unable to understand them. Jack’s mouth turned up into the most fake looking smile he could possibly pull off.  
  
“Oh my! A whole piece of chocolate! Just for me? Oh, you shouldn’t have!” Jack replied, mocking the very tone she was speaking to him in. Jack took the chocolate and popped it in his mouth just in time for Teague to step back into the room barely dressed, mainly only his shirt and breeches.  
  
“Alright, Jacky-boy. Go out and play with the other kids for a couple hours while I’m doing business,” Teague ordered.  
  
“But I don’t want to play with the other kids!” Jack whined.  
  
Teague grabbed the boy and pushed him outside, but not without a struggle, and slammed the door behind him. Feeling defeated, young Jack walked down the street to where the younger pirates usually were. All the boys usually played bat-and-ball games and the very few girls that were there played hoops-and-stick or tabletop games on the ground.  
  
Jack walked over to the group of boys playing trapball. All the boys varied in age, some were around his age or younger but most of them were older than Jack, twelve being the oldest.  
  
The boy at the bat spun around as Jack approached him. “Hey! Look who it is! It’s Teague’s whelp!” All the other boys then laughed along. Jack frowned.  
  
“Hey! It’s Jack I’ll have you know! Even Jackie is more acceptable than that,” Jack snapped. “Although—um...please don’t call me Jackie,” Jack let out a nervous giggle. All the boys blankly stared at each other.  
  
Another boy went up to Jack and sniffed him. “Eww! He smells like rum!”  
  
Jack took a whiff of himself. He didn’t smell _too_ much like rum.  
  
“Wait until you lot start drinking that stuff someday!” Jack fumed as the boys walked away laughing.  
  
Jack searched around for somebody else to play with. He found two girls around his age at the side of the road playing mancala. Jack licked his hands to smooth out his hair and straightened his back. He approached the girls and cleared his throat.  
  
“Hello, ladies, err girls,” Jack tried flirt. “Looking beautiful today!”  
  
The girls gawped at him. They looked at each other, then back at him.  
  
“Ew! It’s Jack Sparrow!” one of the girls cried out breaking the awkward silence. Both of the girls giggled. Jack’s jaw went agape unsure of what to say, and then turned into an evil smirk.  
  
“WHO WANTS A KISS?”  
  
The girls shrieked! One of them closed their mancala board and they both ran off screaming as Jack went after them. Jack chased the screaming girls down the streets toward the bottom of the shipwrecks. He then slammed into something hard. He was thrown back and landed on his rear. He looked up to see a large, burly pirate. One who was several feet taller than him with muscles and a giant gut. The pirate pulled the boy up by the hair with his enormous hands to where their faces were only a few inches away from each other. Jack could not only get an exclusive close up of the pirate’s disgusting face, he could also smell his putrid breath.  
  
“Um, excuse me, sir. As much as I’d love to have a staring contest with you, I’d advise that you brush your teeth next time, mate. It smells like something died inside you!” Jack requested politely, trying not to cough. The pirate growled. Jack nervously laughed and gulped.  
  
“Let's get this straight boy, you’d better wise up and not bother my daughters again. I swear, if you EVER talk to them again, YOU WILL BE KEEL HAULED!!” the pirate roared as he dragged little Jack by the front of his shirt to the ledge of the nearest ship hulk and threw him off.  
  
  
  
“You okay, da? You took quite a tumble, you did!”  
  
That voice sounded familiar. Jack opened his blurry eyes to many pirates looking down at him. His head throbbed in pain but after moving his limbs a little, it seems he was lucky to have gotten away with only a minor head injury. He rubbed the back of his head and looked down at the blood trickling down his fingers. Jack looked back up with now clearer vision and saw that one of the pirates crowded around him matched the voice he recognized. It was Borya!  
  
Borya was the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea. A friend of Teague, Jack had met him a couple times before. Jack always thought he was weird looking. He was a small, scrawny man who wore a pair of wire-framed, thick-lensed spectacles on a ribbon around his neck. Wispy gray hair stuck straight up from his pink scalp, and his beard was equally thin and patchy. In his short coat, shapeless hat, and felt boots, as many could agree with Jack, he was a strange figure indeed.  
  
“Aye, the boy is alright! Show is over!” another pirate announced. All the pirates in the crowd dispersed, except for Borya who offered Jack a hand helping him back up onto his feet.  
  
Borya brought the young boy back to the docks by his ship, a sleek, powerful sloop named _Koldunya_. Jack waited on top of a barrel on the dock for the old pirate to come out of his ship with supplies to dress Jack’s head wound.  
  
“Bite down”  
  
Jack looked at him in confusion and Borya shoved an orange slice into his mouth. It looked as if Jack had an orange smile. Borya tilted the boy’s head down and powered salt water onto the cut on his scalp making him whine in pain through the orange slice. Borya then began to wrap a roll of linen cloth around Jack’s head while Jack sat and ate at the orange slice. Between bites of the orange slice, a question popped out of Jack’s mouth.  
  
“Why don’t the other kids want to play with me?”  
  
Borya stopped wrapping as he was taken aback by his question since the boy had been nothing but quiet since he took him down to the docks. He quickly finished wrapping when he came up with a plausible answer and walked around the barrel to the front of Jack. The wrapping around his head made him look quite ridiculous with all the hair on top of his head sticking out and laid over the wrapping as if he had a bandana on.  
  
“Jack-boy,” Borya began. “there are always few good people in the world people choose to pick on for being different. You just one of the unlucky few, you happen to be.”  
  
Through the puzzled look on Jack’s face, Borya felt what he said may have shattered the boy’s confidence a bit. The pirate closed his eyes tightly and opened them back up.  
  
“What I mean is...The world out there is cruel. _Real_ cruel. This is only sneak peek of what you get to experience later on in life. But there is bright side, there is! Assuming you be out at sea when your older, being on a ship...No matter what, pirates don’t discriminate. Have no hand? Here’s hook! Go swab the decks! Have no leg? Here’s wooden peg! Get climbin’ the mast and hoist the sails! Have no eye? Here’s eye patch! At least you have one eye to look through spyglass, da? As for women...well, women are bad luck on ships. Knowing you, you will make it as ‘Captain’ real quick when you get older, and you’ll go back and tell all those fools back there you are Captain and you have your own ship.”  
  
Jack stared off into space thinking about what Borya said with a smile spreading across his face.  
  
“I thought that would make you feel better,” Borya smirked.  
  
Borya helped Jack down off the barrel and went back to the _Koldunya_ to put away his supplies while Jack paced up and down the dock. Borya came back up to the docks to Jack examining the stern of the sloop.  
  
“What does...Kol-dun-ya...mean?” Jack curiously asked.  
  
The old Pirate Lord smiled, revealing small, very white teeth, and replied. “Means ‘witch’ in my language. You know what ‘witch’ is? Woman who works magic, da?”  
  
Little Jack nodded. “Yes, I know what that is. But aren’t witches supposed to be ugly? She’s a beautiful ship.”  
  
Borya smiled with pleasure at the justified compliment, and ruffled Jack’s hair. “You have good eye for ships, Jack-boy. Many ships I have had since I went ‘on the account,’ as you English put it, and all were beautiful...and all named _Koldunya_. Do you know what kind of ship she is?”  
  
Young Jack nodded. “Of course! She’s a Jamaica sloop. Five gun ports to a side, shallow draft, fore and aft rigged, with raked masts.”  
  
Borya blinked, clearly impressed. Right on queue, a now fully dressed but tired looking Teague came back from his “business”.  
  
“Teague,” Borya said, “this boy, he is sharp one, he is. Won’t be long before he will be Pirate Lord himself, da?”  
  
Teague, never one to praise Jack, merely grunted in reply.


	4. Cabin Boy

Jack had sailed on Teague's ship, _Troubadour_ , as cabin boy throughout a three month journey. He looked forward to the trip not because he liked sailing with Teague, but because he hadn't been out at sea in months. Jack loved being out on a ship, feeling the rolling of the waves from below his feet, and the smell of the sea. Even though he was on Teague's ship, something felt right being there. After all these years, he still couldn't put a name to this exact feeling. Teague was mainly a "sit-at-home pirate" so opportunities to go out to sea were quite rare for Jack. Once in a while, he would have the opportunity to employ onto other people's ships.

He loved being on Borya Palachnik's ship the most. As a lad, he used to pick up pocket money by during chores aboard his assortment of _Koldunyas_. He remembered when Borya would always ruffle his hair and praise him for being a smart boy. Jack had never received much in the way of approval growing up, so those words had stayed with him. Being older now, Jack finally started to sail aboard _Koldunya_ with her crew. Her captain, Borya would still ruffle his hair and praise him like he always did. At night, he'd let Jack join his crew in singing sea shanties and drinking with them, which was something Teague would absolutely never allow him to do and Jack always kept that a secret from him. Borya always treated Jack as an equal to his crew unlike Teague.

Even after being on and off ships practically his entire life and trying to prove he can be out at sea, Teague still never saw Jack being fully ready to sail out at sea officially part of the crew of the _Troubadour_ and he never failed to constantly remind Jack of that. Sailing on the _Troubadour_ meant not only he had to sail with Teague who constantly reminded him how he was destined to fail, he also had to sail with his cousin, Valerie.

Valerie constantly terrorized Jack throughout his whole life. He remembered being as young as the age of three when she would shoot him in the head with a slingshot and lock him in a crate for several hours while Teague was frantically searching for him. Many of Jack's other memories included Valerie burning his hands with a candle, stabbing him with pins, putting leeches in his bath, breaking his finger when he was nine, spiking his food with chili peppers, throwing hard tacks at his head, locking him in the cargo deck until somebody noticed he was gone, and the numerous times she's thrown him off of ships and pushed him off the docks. Valerie always burst into a fit of laughter at Jack's expense. However through all the torture she had put him through, Teague always respected Valerie as a pirate much more than he did with Jack. Jack's face always twisted into cringe every time he heard Teague praise her.

"Oh, in the name of all that is blessed and blasted, could you stop this sweety-sweety 'Nice job Valerie' already?!" Jack yelled out at Teague. "I feel like hanging my head over the railing and blowing my guts out!"

"You're just jealous because Teague never says anything nice to you!" Valerie snarled.

"I don't even know why you're here anyway, women are bad luck on ships!" Jack said turning to Valerie.

"So are little bratty pirate boys!"

Jack and Valerie growled until they heard a loud bang. They both looked up to see Teague looming over in between them, holding a pistol up in the air with smoke coming from the barrel.

"Enough!" Teague demanded. "Jackie, go below decks right now."

"What?! Why me?! If anything she should be sent down there! She butted in!" Jack ranted waving his hands around.

"GO!"

"I HATE YOU!"

Jack stomped over to the opened hatch. Before storming below decks, he turned to see Valerie, still with Teague, with a wide smirk across her face.  
  


Jack leaned onto the railing at the bow of the ship watching Shipwreck Island grow closer and closer. The ship carefully steadied its way through Devil's Throat and the tower of hundreds of ship hulks came into view. The evening lights shone beautifully throughout the island as the city was active no matter what time of the day since Shipwreck City was not known to have day or night hours.

The ship docked and Jack watched all the people by the docks and going up the streets of the city. All pirates with scraggly patchy beards, worn bandanas or tricorns, and faded waistcoats and trousers. Some of the people Jack happened to catch his eye on while people watching were quite amusing to watch. Some picking fights with others just because, some too drunk to even stand and throwing up on the street, some who just look plain weird in general. The one person who drew Jack's attention this time around didn't fit into any of those categories. It was a girl who stuck out from the many other pirates around her. She had beautiful, long, wavy brown hair, slightly tanned skin, a chartreuse green dress, and she was built not incredibly skinny, but not overweight either. She did not look like she belonged here.

"Jackie!"

Jack snapped back into reality and quickly turned to Teague who was waiting impatiently on deck by the gangplank.

"Come on, boy," Teague said impatiently. "Everyone's already left and I've got to close the ship."

"Alright, alright! I wasn't going to stay here forever. Don't rush me!" Jack blurted out, clearly annoyed.

Jack hopped off the gangplank and followed Teague through the city to the Great Chamber. He couldn't keep his eyes off this girl as they walked by from a distance and the girl seeming to be in too much of a rush to notice him.

Teague and Jack walked through the door of the Chamber and went upstairs in the back to the living area. Teague disappeared into the room and Jack took a deep breath and went in after. Entering into the room, he dodged to the left when just like that, a knife whistled just past his ear, so close that it cut the edges of his hair. Jack looked behind him to see the knife stuck into the wall.

"Oh, hi Grandmama," Jack said flatly.

Growing up, he learned by instinct to always dodge or duck whenever entering into any room in his home. Grandmama was known for hiding knives in all different pieces of her garments. Like as if she hadn't just narrowly missed killing Jack, she sat contently in her rocking chair. Her feet and wooden cane tapped on the floor after every rock and she stared at Jack with a cold, blank stare from her sharp, black eyes.

"I see you're back again...alive," Grandmama snorted, in her strong, husky voice like always.

Others in the family were in the room as well. Teague was seated on the side of the couch closest to Grandmama with the prison dog resting by his feet and the ring of keys hanging from its mouth. Brannigan and Uncle Jack were also seated by the couch, Uncle Jack having passed out from the drink. Another couch sat Aunt Hazel and "Quick Draw" McFlemming.

All the sudden, McFlemming's children came out from their hiding places and jumped onto Jack's legs.

"Jackie's home!" The children cheered. Jack never found them to be extremely pleasant.

"Argh...come on kids. Get off the whelp now," McFlemming uttered.

"Err...don't mind me, family. I'm just going to get a snack and go up to my room. It'll just be like as if I had never came back home...alive. Savvy?" Jack said urgently trying to get out of everyone's way.

Jack shuffled around the little cousins and went around the back of the living room to where the kitchen was. He went up to a cabinet hoping to grab something to munch on when another knife flew past him into where the cabinet shut, preventing Jack from opening it.

"Oh, come on! Could I just eat anything around here without being nearly killed for once?!" Jack snapped. He turned around to see it was Valerie who threw the knife.

"I see it took Teague's whelp a while to come back," Valerie sneered. "I came back here about an hour and a half ago."

"I was people watching! So?" Jack reached over into another cabinet and grabbed an apple. "Jokes on you, there's more than one of these here."

Jack took a bite out of the apple, and walked past Valerie to the stairs. Before reaching the top, he stopped and looked down at his cousin.

"One more thing, could you all please stop calling me a bloody whelp?! It's getting pretty old by now!" Jack complained.

Jack continued to the top of the stairs and went down a small hallway leading to the bedrooms. Before he could reach his room, Mabeltrude, the family visionary, jumped out in front of Jack, making him startle and almost choke on a piece of his apple.

"WELP OF TEAGUE! I CAN SEE IT NOW! YOU EYE FOR SOMEONE WHO WILL LEAD YOU TO YOUR GREATEST DESIRE!"

"Ugh. I don't need this right now," Jack grumbled as he pushed past her. He went into his room and locked the door.


	5. First Drink

Within the many years of exploring Shipwreck Cove, Jack had seen just about every foot of the island. When he had explored every one of the inlets and beaches, he started to explore all the dungeons. Jack always thought the abandoned dungeons were a whole lot more fascinating to explore. He liked to crawl through passageways and shifting through rocks to get to secret entrances. Sometimes, he found human remains and kept some of them to himself. Jack knew the maps of the dungeons by heart after exploring so many of them so finding a way out wasn't too difficult.

After a whole day of dungeon exploration, Jack went back to his roots and found one of the little beaches to rest at. He took off his boots to let his toes sink into the sand and watched as the sun set behind the island surrounding Shipwreck Cove.

When it started to get dark, Jack packed his things, put his boots back on, and started to walk back home. Jack walked quietly through the door to the Great Chamber and tip-toed up the stairs. When he reached the living area, he dropped his things and ducked.

"AHH!" Jack dove to the ground. All there was—was silence.

Jack then realized no knives were thrown at him. He looked up to see no one was in the room. No Teague, no Uncle Jack, none of the little cousins, not even Grandmama was in her rocking chair.

"Hmm...that's strange," Jack wondered out loud.

He picked up his things and went upstairs to his room. He then found a note attached to his door:

_ Meet me at _

_ The Drunken Lady _

_ -Teague _

Puzzled, Jack made his way up the city, three quarters of the way up the tower of ships to The Drunken Lady, which had once been a Spanish treasure galleon  _ Our Lady of Divine Inspiration _ (some witty pirate had modified this to "Our Lady of Divine Inebriation"). Jack had been there many times with Teague, many of the times in which he had to drag a drunk Teague back home in the middle of the night. Jack entered the tavern and scanned the place for Teague, and spotted him and Borya sitting at a table towards the back waving at him.

"Happy Birthday, Jackie!" They both cheered.

"Huh—wait! Me?" Jack looked around confused.

"Yes, you! When would I ever forget your birthday?!" Teague chuckled.

"Every year. Even  _ I _ forgot when my birthday was and I can't even count how old I am anymore," Jack answered dryly and took a seat by Teague. Teague called over Marie, the barkeep's wife who often served the guests of the tavern.

" _Bienvenue, messieurs!_ " Marie greeted. "What would you like to drink?" She spotted Jack sitting next to Teague. She bent over next to the table to Jack's eye level and smiled. " _Bonjour_ , Jack! Would you like to order a chocolate milk?"

Jack opened his mouth to speak when Teague interrupted him. "Five shots of rum each for the three of us! It's Jackie's birthday today and he's finally having his first drink!" Jack's mouth hung open speechless as he stared at Teague.

"Ooh! The lad's very first drink! I'll bring that right away, _monsieur!_ " Marie took the order and walked away.

"Ah—err...um...WHAT?!l" Jack stammered for a moment trying to regain his ability to talk.

"You're sixteen now so I thought that would be the perfect time to take you through the threshold into the life of drinking!"

Jack's eyes widened and he pressed his lips together as he looked over at Borya, who was also looking at him with the same expression, both knowing all too well that Borya had already been letting Jack drink with his crew for years. They burst out in laughter together while Teague looked confused. Just then, Marie came to the table with a tray of fifteen shots like how Teague ordered, sorting out the shots to five each for the three of them.

"Thank you, love. We'll keep it open," Teague thanked as Marie turned and walked away. He then turned to Jack.

"You're nervous, aren't you, boy?" Teague questioned, noticing Jack examining his first shot.

"Nope...not at all," Jack said sounding unsure.

All three of them held up their shot.

"To Jackie!" Teague announced.

"And to getting really drunk, da?" Borya grinned.

"Yes, yes. To me and getting really drunk," Jack said in all seriousness.

They all drank their shots. The older men cleared their throats whilst Jack hacked and coughed, trying to clear his own.

"Don't worry, boy. In time, you'll get the hang of it," Teague reassured, patting Jack on the back as he coughed.

"Ye-yes," Jack croaked with tears nearly forming in his eyes.

The three took yet another shot...and then another, then another, then another...

Borya had left back to his residence and the two remaining drunkards stumbled into Teague's favorite brothel, arm in arm as they supported each other. The inside of the brothel was decrepit, but also fancy with vintage couches and rugs, though a lot of them were blanketed in dust. The girls dressed in rather revealing dresses and the sailors were just regular old pirates, probably here for "business". They were all seated in couches, chairs, and some on the floor.

"Teague!" the brothel girls cried happily.

"Hello, ladies. We just got back from the tavern," Teague slurred as he threw a drunken Jack on a couch. He then threw off his coat and hat and put them on a coat hanger.

"I can tell," the redhead, Madam Lavina observed. She was one of the misses of the brothel as well as a particular one Teague was interested in. "What was the occasion?"

"It's the boy's birthday today and he's had his first drink!"

They both looked over at Jack who sat there on the couch bobbing his head back and forth, hard enough to where he was hitting the back of his head against the wall. Teague pulled Lavina further over to the side and lowered his voice to a whisper.

"Since it's Jackie's birthday,...well—um...How about you girls go give him some attention," Teague winked as he pulled out a few shillings from his pocket.

"Will do, Captain," Lavina winked back as she took the shillings.

She gathered the other three girls and they went over to Jack, who was still in a drunken state, and swooned over him. They cooed at how cute he was, pinched his cheeks, ruffled his hair, and gave him sandwiches and chocolates and Jack enjoyed every single bit of it.

"Aww! He is so cute!"

"Look at his little baby face!"

"He's so adorable when he's drunk!"

"Daww! He's so red!"

After a few minutes, the girls picked up Jack to take him to one of their rooms. Teague smiled as he watched the girls carry Jack up the stairs. It wasn't long until he heard one of the girls call his name.

"Teague!"

Teague got up from the couch wobbling a bit, and slowly walked up the stairs and into the room the girls were in. He walked in to see the girls looking down at Jack on the bed. Jack had passed out as the girls were undressing him. They had already undressed him down to only his shirt and breeches.

"What do we do now, Teague?" the blonde girl, Madam Claire, asked.

Teague sighed as he looked at Jack in dismay and replied. "Well, I already paid for the kid. If he ain't up for the task, I might as well take his place. I have a bit more experience anyway."

"Okay then!" the girls got up and left the room with Teague, leaving Jack on the bed to sleep.

Jack woke up on the bed barely dressed as he opened his eyes and turned his head a little to see Teague leaning against the doorway smiling.

"So Jackie, how was it?"

"How was what?"

"Your first time! It must've been great!"

Jack's eyes grew wide and he looked up at the ceiling. He didn't know what to say.

"You were one lucky lad, my boy. And four at once? That would have to be a new record, mate. And your first time too? I'm proud of you, boy," Teague praised, still smiling at Jack.

Jack tried not to let the tears well up in his eyes as he continued to look up at the ceiling. It was the first time Teague had ever praised him, or expressed being proud of him.

"I-I don't remember..." Jack quaked.

"Take my word on it. I'm heading downstairs to sing. Join us when you're ready to come down," Teague then left and shut the door behind him.

Jack tried to sit up, but when he did, it felt as if the room was spinning, or rocking as if he was in an earthquake. He could tell he was still pretty drunk. He laid back down, looking up at the ceiling again. He turned his head a little to the window. He couldn't have been out for anymore than a couple of hours since it was dark outside and from what he could hear downstairs, everyone else seemed to still have quite a bit of energy left. He could hear feet stomping on the ground as they chanted,

_ "Fifteen men on a dead man's _

_ chest, yo ho ho and a bottle of _

_ rum!" _

Jack wanted to be down there so badly, but he felt he didn't have the strength to even get up. Jack spent the next thirty minutes or so listening to them sing down below. Feet stomped, people clapping, and the strumming of a guitar. Many of the songs he heard he had recognized from his adventures on the  _ Koldunya _ .

Jack sat back up again, and although the room still felt like it was moving, he finally had the strength to get up. He put his boots on, tied his sash, put on his belt, and pulled his waistcoat through his belt so he didn't have to wear it.

Jack slowly walked down the stairs trying not to fall. He sat at the bottom of the staircase waiting for a sailor to finish his song.

_ "So here's a health to the _

_ company and one to my lass, _

_ Let's drink and be merry all out _

_ of one glass, _

_ Let's drink and be merry, all _

_ grief to refrain, _

_ For we may or might never all _

_ meet here again." _

Everybody clapped and cheered as Teague noticed Jack waiting.

"Jackie! You're here! Come join us, boy," Teague exclaimed.

Teague moved over a little to make room and Jack squeezed in right next to him.

Madam Lavina came up to Jack and handed him a tankard. "Here you go, Jack! Can't sing drinking songs without drinking!"

Just as Jack was about to take a sip, Teague's hand grabbed the tankard and pulled it away from him, with Jack's hands not letting go.

"Oh yes you can," Teague said. "You've had more than enough."

"No I can't!" Jack whined, pulling the drink back. "I can have just one more drink!"

"Fine," Teague huffed as he let go of the drink.

Jack happily took a swig and everyone started to sing again. He sat through a couple of songs he was too drunk to remember the words of, but he enjoyed the company as he sat there and listened, swaying back and forth.

"Alrighty, mates!" Madam Lavina announced. "This will be the last song for tonight, and I think you all know this one!" She took a deep breath and began to sing.

_ "Of all the money that e'er I _

_ had, I spent it in good company. _

_ And all the harm I've ever done, _

_ Alas it was to none but me. _

_ And all I've done for want of _

_ wit, To mem'ry now I can't recall. _

_ So fill to me the parting glass, _

_ Good night and joy be to you all. _

_ So fill to me the parting glass _

_ And drink a health whate'er befalls. _

_ Then gently rise and softly call, _

_ Good night and joy be to you all!" _

A smile drew across Jack's face as he remembered the words to this song. It was one of his favorites when singing on Borya's ship.

"Oh, oh! I know this one!" Jack squealed, almost spilling his drink.

Teague picked up the guitar sitting next to him. He began strumming and started to sing.

_ "Of all the comrades that e'er I had, _

_ They're sorry for my going away. _

_ And all the sweethearts that e'er I had—" _

Jack chimed in.

_ "They'd wish me one more day to stay!" _

Everybody began to sing along, waving their tankards up in the air.

_ "But since it fell unto my lot, _

_ That I should rise and you should not. _

_ I'll gently rise and softly call, _

_ Good night and joy be to you all! _

_ Fill to me the parting glass _

_ And drink a health whate'er befalls. _

_ Then gently rise and softly call, _

_ Good night and joy be to you all!" _

Teague continued to strum the guitar as Madam Lavina came up to Jack and pulled him up to dance with her. One by one, each of the girls and sailors got up and started to dance. Lavina and Jack slow danced since Jack was still really drunk. Jack looked at the tankard he was holding over her shoulder and began to sob.

"Aww! What's wrong? Don't cry!" Lavina consoled.

"I-I love you," Jack wept, still looking at his tankard.

"Is that you or the alcohol taking?" Lavina questioned.

"It's me talking  _ to _ the alcohol!"

Lavina chuckled a little as she wiped Jack's face and sat him back down next to Teague.

Everybody began to sing again, dancing and waving their drinks. Jack swayed and waved his drink, letting tears fall down his face as he sang. He had no doubt this was one of the best memories he has ever had with Teague.

Teague and Jack stumbled over to the door to the Great Chamber. Teague then stopped and turned to Jack before opening the door.

"Now, Jackie. What do you say if Grandmama or anyone else catches us coming in?" Teague asked.

"I went to a bar, got drunk, and lost my virginity to four girls!" Jack blurted a little too loudly. Jack laughed and Teague slapped him across the face.

"Shh! No, you can't say those things!" Teague reprimanded. "Just act normal and let me do the talking. Savvy?"

"Savvy!" Jack giggled.

Teague pushed Jack through the door and they slowly made their way up the stairs, with each of the steps creaking below their feet. They walked through the living area Jack parted from Teague and went to the couch.

Teague looking around the still seemingly empty living area. Usually, some of the family would be there, passed out from drinking, yet none of them were in sight. He suddenly heard something rock. He turned around and found Jack laughing, completely on his feet jumping up and down on the couch. Teague panicked and pulled Jack off the couch by the arm.

Valerie then entered the room as Teague was trying to calm Jack down. "What in the bloody name in hell is goin' on here?!"

"Just go back to your room. You don't need to know what's going on here," Teague said as he finally got Jack to calm down.

"Hey, Valerie! Looking as ugly as ever!" Jack slurred as he put his arm on Valerie's shoulder.

"Wait. Is he drunk?" Valerie asked, scowling at Jack. Jack spaced out for a second and slowly nodded looking back at her.

"Yes, he is. Under my permission. Don't tell Grandmama," Teague responded under his breath as Jack walked away and disappeared into the kitchen.

"I won't tell if I get to watch," Valerie bribed with an evil smirk.

Teague let out a simple "No."

Jack moaned and whined and Teague walked into the kitchen to check on him.

"Let me tell you, I feel kinda light headed right now, mate," Jack drawled, pacing around the room.

"If you need to throw up, do it in a bucket, please," Teague grunted.

"I can feel it come up my throat," Jack went up to the wall and started to pant.

The three of them were quiet for a few moments. Jack's eyes widened and looked at Teague as he broke the silence. "I just peed a little."

Valerie cackled and Teague facepalmed.

"Oh god, boy. Do it outside!"

"I need help."

Teague grabbed Jack by the arm, quickly pushed him down the stairs, and pulled him outside to the back of the ship hulks.

"Go over there!" Teague pointed over to the other side and he and Valerie waited in front of the Great Chamber. After a couple minutes, they heard wailing coming from Jack.

Teague swung his head around the hulks and saw Jack, still on the other side facing away from him.

"I just threw up on my member!" Jack shouted.

Teague looked over at Valerie, who seemed just as confused.

"It burns!"

The sudden realization came upon them as Valerie's face lit up and Teague's face dropped into a horrified expression. Teague then rushed over to Jack while Valerie howled in laughter.


	6. Man-Who-Might-Be-Father

Jack woke up on the couch with a painful headache. His eyes shifted around the room. Orange light leaked through the porthole window and the clock next to it indicated it was seven in the morning. He heard footsteps come into the room and he closed his eyes.

"How's the boy?" Uncle Jack asked.

"He's passed out on the couch. I'll see if he's woken up yet," Teague responded.

Jack heard the footsteps come closer and they stopped right in front of him. After a moment, they walked away and went into the kitchen. Teague and Uncle Jack carried on with their conversation and Jack pretended to be asleep as he tried to listen. He wasn't able to make out what they were conversing about at first but he picked up a few sentences.

"So Teague. What're you going to do with Jacky-boy now that he's older?" Uncle Jack questioned.

"Same old, same old," Teague answered. "He's still not ready to fully sail out with me yet for you know...pirating things."

"Does he know yet?"

"Know what?"

"That he's your..." Uncle Jack looked around for a second before finishing. "...your son?"

_ Son?  _ Jack perked up a little as discreetly as possible trying to listen. Jack heard Teague respond, but Teague lowered his voice so he wasn't able to hear it.

Jack had never thought about it as Teague never acknowledged him as his son. Teague had never even praised him or said anything nice to him until last night, although as he thought about it, Teague may have been possibly drunk saying that. Jack knew he was part of the family...sort of. Grandmama liked to inflict pain on Jack and Valerie constantly tormented him; they're pirates, so he guessed that was sort of normal, right? The rest of the family obviously looked down on him as well as he observed. He just co-existed alongside them under their roof as he was constantly being nearly killed every single day.

If Teague was intentionally trying to hide the fact that Jack was his child, he wasn't doing a very good job at it considering he was known to everybody in and outside of his family as "Teague's whelp" or "the protégé". Nobody could deny the similarities he and Teague had, down to the way they dressed, their flamboyance, and Jack had even picked up some of Teague's mannerisms. Though Teague always pushed him away, Jack had no doubt they were close. Teague was always there whenever Jack needed rescuing, although Jack didn't want to admit he ever needed it, and Teague still cared enough to celebrate his birthday just this one time. Jack thought and thought about it until he drifted off back to sleep.

Jack woke back up later on. This time, light fully engulfed the room. He got up, still a little wobbly and his head still hurt, but not as bad.

He slowly walked into the kitchen and went through the nearly empty cabinets until he found some bread. He took a couple of slices and sat down at the table where a glass of water was already placed. He looked around and sniffed the water before taking a sip of it. He started to eat when Valerie came into the room.

"Daw! Teague's whelp is having his very first hangover!" Valerie obnoxiously cooed.

"Leave me alone. Your loud annoying voice is making my head hurt," Jack grumbled as he put his chin on the table and his arms around his head, one of them holding a half eaten bread slice.

"Oh, you probably don't remember, but last night was great!" Valerie smirked.

"I  _ do _ remember."

"You were jumping on the couch, you almost peed yerself, and you threw up on your—"

"No need to remind me!" Jack hissed through gritted teeth.

"You need to start drinking more because that was hilarious!" Valerie snickered.

"Oh, shut up!" Jack said. He then sat up and puffed his chest out. "And besides, even though my dignity may be gone—not that it's been there to begin with, but all that I can say is that I am officially a  _ man _ now!"

"You? A man?" Valerie burst into laughter.

Jack frowned. "Hey! I am offended you don't think I can win a lass to bed."

"Oh, so that's what you mean by being a man? You're saying you slept with someone? Hahaha! Jackie Sparrow wouldn't be able to win anybody to bed with him, not even men!" Valerie cried laughing.

"Of course I did! With, in fact, FOUR lasses!"

"Pfft! If you did, then they were probably paid!"

"NO! We were at a brothel, but I don't think I saw any transaction happening. I just happen to attract the ladies," Jack said with smug as he leaned back on the chair and continued eating the last of the slice of bread.

"And?"

"Well, I don't remember it, but Teague told me all about it! He even said he was proud of me!" Jack went on with his mouth full.

"Let me get this straight. So you somehow magically attracted four women into bed with you and you don't remember it, but Teague told you?" Valerie questioned.

"Basically if you put it that way, then yes!" Jack grinned.

"Your perception of reality is so screwed up, Sparrow," Valerie said, shaking her head. She got up and went back upstairs leaving Jack to finish his second slice of bread alone in peace.

Jack sat wilted on the couch for what felt like hours, thinking about the conversation he had heard earlier between Teague and Uncle Jack. Grandmama had brought her rocking chair outside and no one else was in the room except when someone in the family would pop in and out every once in a while. This had all left Jack to be by himself.

Teague suddenly came into the house to get something from the kitchen, walking past Jack. He walked past Jack again on the way out.

Right when Teague was about to leave, Jack felt something come out of his mouth. "Dad?"

Teague stopped and slowly turned around facing Jack. "What did you just call me?"

"How long were you going to keep it from me?" Jack interrogated.

Teague didn't say anything.

"I heard you two here earlier."

"That meant nothing, boy. Leave it be," Teague said shaking his head.

"No. How many other lies about my life have you not bothered to tell me about, huh?" Jack asked in an angry tone, standing up and straightening his back.

"A lot. I'm not going to get into this," Teague responded. He turned away and went downstairs into the Great Chamber. Jack followed after down the stairs and ran past Teague, standing in between his supposed father and the door.

"I want to hear it. I want to hear it all RIGHT NOW!" Jack demanded.

"All right, I'll tell you one thing. Your name was originally Jack Christopher Teague," Teague quickly admitted.

Jack scrunched up his face. That name did not flow well to him at all.

"I'd like to tell you more, but I didn't want to overwhelm you. Leave me be now," Teague said, trying to get past Jack.

"You are a cruel man, Teague."

"I know..."

"I hate you," Jack finally then stormed up the flights of stairs, into his room, and slammed his door.

Jack spent the next day at one of his favorite inlets processing everything that had happened in the past couple days. It was a little cove made from shipwrecks near the top of Shipwreck Cove. From there, he could see all of Shipwreck City and the ships coming in and out of Devil's Throat. Jack made his way down the tower of ship hulks through the city. He felt something hard, and possibly sharp hit his head. He took a deep breath and turned around and saw the group of boys across the street. One of them had thrown a small rock at his head. Most of the group of boys were the same boys from his childhood.

"Well, well. It's Teague's whelp again," the one boy, possibly the leader, said while crossing his arms. The other boys snickered behind him.

"What do you want, Asher? Oh yes! To call me a whelp, say more insulting things, etcetera, etcetera," Jack rebuked. "I hope you come up with something new soon, mate. You always say the same things and it's getting really stale for me. So how about you leave me to my own until you have something else to say. Savvy?"

Jack turned and walked away. The boy was about to say something when the wind picked up and a stray sheet of linen from a clothesline hit him in the face. He fell over, cocooned in the sheet. Jack looked over his shoulder and smirked as he watched the other boys laughed at their fallen leader yelling and struggling to get up.

Jack continued walking down the streets, still looking over at the boys behind him. He then bumped into someone. He quickly turned and saw that he was face to face with the girl he saw earlier, the girl with the long brown hair. She had a light plum dress on this time and had a book in her hands. Now that he had a closer look at her face, he saw that she had brownish gray eyes and light freckles across her nose. She was just about as tall as him if not a little taller, not that he was very tall himself.

"Err, excuse me, lass. Sorry!" Jack blurted out.

"Oh no! It was my fault! I...well...had my nose stuck in a book," the girl giggled a little and walked away.

Jack froze as he watched her walk away. He shook himself out of trance and he continued down the city.

Jack walked down by the docks looking for anybody that he knew. He heard somebody call his name.

"Jackie!"

Jack looked around and found Teague at the end of one of the docks in a rowboat, waving over at him. Jack reluctantly went down the dock Teague called him over to.

"Come sit down," Teague gestured over to the seat across from him in the boat.

Jack stepped into the boat and sat down. He had his head turned away, refusing to speak to Teague.

"We need to talk, boy," Teague said.

"About what?" Jack asked, still keeping his gaze away.

"About earlier."

"I don't want to talk about it."

As Jack was about to get up and leave, Teague quickly got up and threw off the rope that kept the boat tied to the dock. He used his foot to push the boat away and he sat back down, grabbed the oars, and started rowing.

"HEY!" Jack yelled, looking at Teague angrily.

"No escaping now," Teague smiled as he rowed.

"You're an arse!" Jack grumbled and crossed his arms.

"LANGUAGE!"

"I know, I know."

They were quiet for a few minutes as the pirate lord kept rowing. Jack looked down, focusing on adjusting his bandana. He untied it, moved it down a little just above his eyes, and retying the bandana snuggly. Teague finally spoke. "Jackie, I—"

"I'm not doing this," Jack interrupted as he began to kick off his boots.

"What are you doing?" Teague asked.

"Going back to the island," Jack responded flatly.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, mate," Teague urged, shaking his head.

"I'm a good swimmer," Jack insisted as he shucked off his belt.

"You don't know what lurks in these waters around the Cove."

Jack stood up, turned around, and stepped to the back of the boat looking out to Shipwreck Cove. He was about to dive off when he saw something that mysteriously looked like a tail slither right next to the boat, just below the surface of the water. He gasped as he stumbled backwards and fell back into his seat facing away from Teague. They were quiet once again, feeling the awkward tension between them.

"I had to do it for your own safety," Teague began. Jack sat quietly with his back facing Teague, staring off towards the island.

"If anybody, especially the Royal Navy, would have known you were related to me, they would have used you, or done somebody really bad to you," Teague explained.

"Well, then something must have gone wrong with that since I'm known to everyone outside the family as your bloody whelp," Jack shrugged as he turned around, facing back at Teague.

"Not because they know you're my kid, but because they know we are close," Teague raised his eyebrows knowingly.

Jack looked down and frowned. He never thought about it that way, or any way really.

"When you were really young, the family used to always tease me about you being so much like me. While that being true, I would say you remind me of Mum a bit," Teague went on. Jack looked up, and although the rest of his face didn't show it, his eyes lit up at the mentioning of Mum.

"When you were born, the very first thing I noticed—aside from everybody thinking you were a girl for the first few minutes—is that you have the same birthmark on your butt as your mum," Teague teased.

"Oh god! I didn't need to know THAT!" Jack cried out in embarrassment. He put his elbows on his knees and hid his face in his hands. Teague laughed a little at Jack's response.

After a few moments, Jack uncovered his face and looked back up at Teague. "By the way, where  _ is _ Mum now?"

Teague sifted through the numerous things tied onto his belt and pulled out a little shrunken head. Her grayish hair hung over the dark head, and two small wooden sticks were tied together in front of where her mouth was.

"Always by my side," Teague grinned, proudly holding the head up.

"Oh," Jack replied. Looking at the head almost made him feel sick.

Teague hid the head away back into his belt and turned to Jack, who was looking over back at Shipwreck Cove.

"Would you like to go back?" Teague asked.

"Please."


	7. Anne

Jack woke up the next morning to warm air below his stomach.  _ Below?  _ He groggily opened his eyes, and as soon as his vision cleared, he saw a pit with a small glowing fire right below him. He tried to move, but he was tied to a stick like a kabob, suspending him just above the fire pit.

"Oi! Hey! Somebody help me here!" Jack called out.

He heard giggling off to the side. The giggles weren't just from any pirates though, they sounded like they came from children.  _ Oh no...the McFlemming children... _

"HEY! You better get me down from here RIGHT NOW, you—you bilge rats!" Jack demanded.

"Why should we?" one of the kids asked with an evil smirk.

Another one of the children threw a large block of wood into the pit, making the fire grow twice in size. The tails of the flames flickered just below Jack's face. He could almost feel the burning sensation of the flames barely reaching his nose. He tried blowing it away to no avail.

"THAT'S IT! ONCE I'M DOWN FROM HERE, I'LL HAVE ALL YOUR BLOODY ARSES FLOGGED! YOU HEAR ME?!" Jack shouted.

"You'll be down from there once you're freshly cooked!" the children laughed once again.

"HEY! What are ye rascals doing with the whelp?!"

To Jack's relief, "Quick Draw" McFlemming showed up with a bucket in hand.

"We were just making the family breakfast," one of the children pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

"What did I tell ye all about playing with fire?" McFlemming reprimanded.

"Only play with fire when raiding or pillaging," all the children cited in unison.

"Good. Now get out of here," McFlemming ordered.

The children took off back to the house as McFlemming threw the bucket of water into the pit, dousing the fire. "Ace" Brannigan showed up to the smell of the fire.

"Oi! Is somethin' cooking here?" Brannigan asked.

"Aye, the kids were cookin' the boy again," McFlemming explained.

"Blast, I thought we were having freshly roasted bacon for breakfast!"

"No! There's breakfast in the house. Let's go eat,"

The two turned to go eat, leaving Jack hanging there above the pit.

"Um, hello? I'm still stuck here!" Jack called out, bouncing up and down on the stick.

The two turned around back to Jack and looked at each other. "Oh, right."

Later in the day, Teague brought Jack back to the brothel again for "business". The girls openly greeted the two and Teague went upstairs with Madam Lavina, and Madam Claire had went up with another pirate earlier. The two remaining lasses waited downstairs with Jack, sneaking him chocolates and giving him tips and tricks. Teague never bothered to make Jack wait outside anymore since he was now older, and there would be no use forcing him outside since it was clear he had trouble making and keeping relationships with others around his age.

Jack looked out the window at people passing by in the street. He stared off into space when the girl he had seen before came into view. She wore a dark blue dress and her wavy hair was brushed behind her ears. Jack watched as she appeared to be speaking to someone else across the street.

"What're you staring at, Jackie?" the girl with black hair and darker skin, Madam Donna asked.

"Nothing!" Jack jumped and quickly turned as he had been caught.

"I want to see what he's looking at!" the brown haired girl, Madam Abigail chimed in.

Both of the girls pushed Jack aside and looked out the window.

"Hey! I wasn't looking at anyone in particular!" Jack said, trying to push the girls out of the way.

Madam Claire had come down with the pirate she had just finished tending to and escorted him out the door.

"Hey! What are you looking at?" Claire asked, joining the other girls at the window.

"Is it that girl over there?" Abigail pointed to the girl he was looking at.

"No it wasn't!" Jack objected, trying to close the curtains.

"Oooh! Jackie  _ likes _ someone!" Claire sang out in a sing-songy tone.

"WHAT?! No I do not!" Jack protested, stamping his foot on the floor.

"Your trousers tell a different story, mate," Donna smirked as she crossed her arms and pointed below his waist.

The other girls giggled as Jack looked down, and what he saw horrified him. A pitched tent! Right below his belt, poking through his trousers! His face grew beet red.

"Th-that is not my fault!" Jack stuttered as he struggled to adjust his britches.

"Aw! No shame in that, dear! Everybody gets those feelings," Donna reassured with a comforting smile.

"Oh great!" Jack exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. He sat on the couch and crossed his legs. "I don't need 'the talk' from all of you! I've heard it from Teague and that was already scary enough!"

"Oh, you may have heard it from Teague, but you will need to hear it from a girl's perspective," Abigail winked, taking a seat next to him.

Jack looked up at the girls. "So? What do I do now?"

They were silent for a moment before Claire jumped in with an answer. "First, you'll need to go ask the girl out!"

"Great idea!" Abigail excitedly agreed.

The two pulled Jack up from the couch and pushed him to the door, with Donna just ahead of them.

"WAIT! NO! Not right now! I haven't bathed in weeks! I probably still smell like rum! MY SWORD IS STILL UNSHEATHED!" Jack yelled, struggling in their grip.

Donna opened the door and the girls pushed him out onto the street, locking the door behind him. The girls rushed to watch through the window.

There was no getting out of this one. Jack adjusted his trousers again so his tent wasn't as visible and nervously walked across the street to the girl who had just finished her conversation.

The girls watched as Jack went up to her and began to talk. The two spent a few minutes talking and it appeared they were hitting it off well. The girls squealed and whispered to each other when they heard a knock on the door. They opened it to see Jack at the door with a smile across his face. They pulled him in and bombarded him with questions.

"What's her name?"

"What is she like?"

"Is she nice?"

"Did she say yes?"

Jack shushed the girls and began to speak. "Yes. Her name is Anne and I have a date with her tomorrow evening!"

"Yay!" the girls cheered and hugged Jack.

Madam Lavina and Teague came down the stairs. They stopped dumbstruck at the sight of Jack being hugged by the other girls without context.

"What did I miss?" Lavina asked.

"What the hell happened?" Teague questioned.

"Oh, nothing!" Jack and the girls all responded in unison.


	8. The Big Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **(A/N: Warning, There's a small, possibly triggering part mentioned in this chapter that may be a bit explicit for some. Just thought I'd put a warning here.)**

It was the next afternoon and the evening of Jack's date was approaching quickly. He spent a while in the bath, cleaning up weeks, or months worth of stink, dirt, and grime. He then got dressed in whatever shirt had the least amount of visible holes in it, his best breeches and waistcoat, and put on the only pair of boots he owned and his belt. He brushed his hair as he heard pounding on the washroom door.

"WHAT?" Jack yelled through the door.

"I need to pee!" It was Valerie.

"You just went pee before I came in here!" Jack complained as he continued to brush his hair.

"Well, I have to go again!" Valerie began pounding on the door again, making Jack wanting to rip his hair out in frustration.

Jack topped off his look with the cleanest bandana he could find. He tied it around his head and adjusted his hair, properly laying it over the bandana. Jack threw the door open while Valerie was in mid-pound and got him right in the face.

"Ouch! Are you _trying_ to give me a bloody nose right before I have to go out?!" Jack fumed, rubbing his face.

"Well, I have to pee!" Valerie shouted.

Jack marched past her and he was pulled back by the arm.

"Wait," Valerie stopped in a change of tone. She put her face up close to Jack and sniffed. "You smell... _good_?"

"Yes, so?" Jack retorted. "A man deserves to be clean once in a while!"

"Keep calling yerself a man, it's never going to happen," Valerie said, shaking her head.

"GO PEE!" Jack snapped. He pulled away from her and took off downstairs.

"Ugh, her bladder is the size of a bean!" He grumbled to himself as he was careful to tiptoe through the living area.

The room was only lit by a couple of lanterns, and some of the family were passed out on the couches or the floor. He got to the stairs going down to the Great Chamber when he felt a knife quickly whistle past his ear from behind and stuck to the wall in front of him. Jack whirled around to see Grandmama in her usual rocking chair.

"Teague! Your misbegotten whelp is trying to escape!" Grandmama yelled out, glaring at Jack.

"Escape?! Am I caged here like some bloody animal?!" Jack accused angrily.

Teague went down the stairs as Jack and Grandmama drew their attention to him.

"What is your business leaving, boy?" Teague questioned, folding his arms and looking down at Jack.

"Well, I'm leaving to go...um...go out with some friends!" Jack answered, attempting to lie his way out.

Teague raised an eyebrow. He looked at Grandmama, back at Jack, then back at her and they both laughed. Jack frowned at their response. Teague and Grandmama slowly stopped laughing and looked back at Jack, who was glaring at them.

"Oh, you were serious?" Teague said flatly.

Jack folded his arms and raised an eyebrow back at Teague.

"So my Jacky-boy has friends now? That's great!" Teague beamed.

Jack then turned to the stairs "Alright, I've gotta head out—"

"Wait! Since you have...'friends' now, what are their names?" Teague asked curiously.

"Uh..." Jack turned back to Teague and looked around the room, searching for some sort of answer. He spotted Uncle Jack sitting up in the corner, passed out drunk with a half-eaten sausage still in his hand. Jack looked at the sausage and back at Teague.

"Um...Richard,....Willie, and Johnson! Those are my friends' names!" Jack replied semi-confidently with a fake smile.

The room was silent. Jack gulped as he feared Teague would catch on. Instead of raging, Teague smiled again.

"Alright, Jackie. Don't be gone for too long," Teague reminded him.

"I won't...unfortunately," Jack mumbled the last part under his breath as he went downstairs and ran out of the Great Chamber, on his way to the brothel.

The Madams at the brothel went to work on Jack as soon as he arrived, straightening out his clothes and hair, and hyping him up for the big date.

"Are you nervous for tonight, Jack?" Lavina asked, sitting next to Jack on the couch smiling. The other girls caught her up on what has been happening with Jack.

"Me? Nervous?" Jack replied quickly. "No, no, no, no! I'm fine—dandy even! Not nervous whatsoever, lass!"

"Aw! Jackie's sweating!" Abigail giggled, taking a handkerchief from her petticoat and wiping his face.

"Okay, fine! I'm a little nervous—just a little bit," Jack admitted, putting his hands up. He then felt a spirt in the face. He coughed and his eyes watered from the spray.

"Sorry!" Claire apologized, holding a small perfume bottle. "It's a new thing called...cologne. It's like perfume!"

"Remember, she's the first priority, you're the second priority," Lavina lectured.

Donna took a seat next to Jack, on the other side of Lavina. "Right! Don't hit it and quit it. It's all about making her feel good."

"Keep it at her pace, don't rush her," Abigail continued.

"And if she's concerned about size, remember that it's not the size of the boat that counts, it's the motion of the ocean!" Claire interjected.

All the girls giggled at Claire's contribution and Jack spoke up. "Do you all really think I'm going to bring her to bed on the first date?"

The girls silenced and stared at each other with confused looks, as if they have never heard of the concept of not sleeping with a partner on the first date.

"Okay! If she wants to do anything, remember what we taught you," Lavina smiled and winked.

Donna and Lavina got up from the couch and helped Jack up. Abigail brought out a picnic basket.

"Here! There are sandwiches in there, chocolates, glasses, and a bottle of wine," she said, handing the basket to Jack.

Jack walked to the door followed by the girls, and stealing a handful of flowers from a vase on the way. The girls walked Jack out of the door and cheered as he waved and made his way down the street.

"Bye, Jackie!"

"Have fun!"

"Remember what we taught you!"

"Go get 'em, tiger!"

Jack went around to the other side of the island, opposite from the tunnel the ships entered through. Usually on that side of Shipwreck Cove, there wasn't a way to get down to the water. However, Jack had found some caves that led him behind a cliff, climbing down the narrow caverns until he got to the bottom where it opened up to a little beach. His boots sunk into the sand as he surveyed the area. The sands were white and the water was a turquoise blue, however the waves weren't very nice around the Cove and it was advised to not go swimming in them, although Jack did anyway.

He was nervous about whether Anne would show up or not, or if she was able to find the place or if she got lost. This was the first time Jack had ever revealed any of his secret little inlets to anyone.

He looked to the left and saw her in the distance looking out to the water. She looked absolutely gorgeous in her pink gown, and the front of her long brown hair was braided and tied to the back, letting the rest of it out blowing in the wind. She looked over to his direction. Her slightly freckled face lit up as she waved him down. Jack smiled and ran down the beach towards her, with the flowers and basket in hand.

They had set up a little picnic area in the middle of the beach. Jack pulled out the sandwiches and chocolates, and poured glasses of wine. Things were quiet at first, but after finishing the first glass, they began to strike up a conversation.

"So, Jack. What do you do?" Anne asked as she looked at him with her beautiful light brown eyes.

"What do _I_ do?"

"Yes, as in like—what's your story?"

"My story...hm..." Jack thought for a minute, staring off into the distance with a finger on his chin. "Well,...a long, long time ago...there was my mum, below deck of a ship in the middle of a typhoon. She was screaming...and crying,...and there I was! I WAS CHARGING MY WAY THROUGH AND—"

Anne interrupted him, bursting into laughter. "Hahaha! NO! Not your life story! What do you do _now_!"

"Oh bugger! I was going to publish that into a book!" Jack laughed jokingly.

They both wept in laughter together. It was apparent they were a bit tipsy off the wine. They finally gained control of themselves when Jack found something to say.

"Well, in all seriousness," Jack began. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, still recovering from their fit of laughter. "I, for the most part, have lived here in Shipwreck Cove my entire life. I've been on and off of ships starting from a very young age."

Jack looked at Anne, who was staring intently at him, listening to every word he said. He felt proud to finally feel like the center of attention rather than being in the shadow.

"When you say you've been on and off of ships, you take trips often? Where have you gone to?" Anne asked, intrigued.

"Sort of trips," Jack answered. "Like most everybody else on this godforsaken island, my whole family is a bunch of cutthroats, criminals, scoundrels, drunkards, pillagers, and pirates. Some are even Pirate Lords," Anne's eyes lit up at the mention of Pirate Lords. Jack turned and looked out at the sun, which was barely above the tall mountains of the island that enclosed Shipwreck Cove, as he went on.

"They're now more 'sit-at-home' pirates, and I nowadays mostly employ onto my da's ship, or ships of other Pirate Lords we are friends with, but when I was just a little shaver, we would all sail aboard dear old Grandmama's ship as a family. They were disguised as family vacations for us younger ones, me and my cousin Valerie. Although in reality, it was all pirating business. Pillaging and plundering, looting, and Valerie and I had even watched some towns get sacked from the ship. As a family, we also sailed across oceans to many counties visiting different Pirate Lords and such. Throughout our journeys, Val and I had seen and heard things no young one should ever have to see or hear, but that was all we ever knew.

Only once in a while did any of the exciting stuff happen though. Most of the trips were just smuggling, and all around just underground illegal activity. We often went to other pirate havens that were like here or Tortuga, but they were smaller and more unknown. The activities at those places were much more gruesome and shady. They were even rubbed off of most maps making them impossible to find. Here, would be just all your normal taverns, pubs, gaming houses, brothels, and the like. The worst you would see on the streets here is the occasional silly drunk pirate, stumbling and throwing up, or some washed up, nearly naked prostitute at the side of the road. On the streets at the towns we went to, there were bodies on the streets. Some were clothed, some were naked, some missing limbs, and some were still twitching. My da' often covered our eyes with his hands when we walked through those streets, but sometimes, I could see through the cracks between his fingers."

Jack looked over at Anne with wild eyes as he continued to tell his story.

"There was one particular town on an island I loved going to. It was probably because there weren't as many bodies on the streets so we didn't have to have our eyes covered very much. It didn't mean that town was any better than the others though. I don't really remember the name of it since I was so young. The last time I went there, I was probably about five or six, and Valerie was about seven or eight. I remember it was that time in particular when we had went to smuggle rum because a family friend was with us. He was in the Royal Navy, but he was also in the rum smuggling business and he often helped us out.

Me, Val, Da', and this family friend, we all went to this little broken down shack in the back of the town. We went downstairs into the basement, where there was an older..." Jack squinted his eyes and gestured his hands, struggling to find the words. "...half-dead looking man—pirate, sleeping in a chair with a bottle of rum in his hand. Another older pirate, who was still awake, was there as well and assisting my da' and the friend, while Val and I were left to our own.

We got bored so we explored the basement area a bit. There was a main room the stairs initially went down to, and there was a hallway with multiple doors. We opened up one door, there a ton was cargo in that room, probably full of rum. We opened another door and there was nothing in that room all. Nothing! The third door we opened,...we couldn't see anything at first, but there was a small lantern hanging from the ceiling. It was dimly lit, revealing three small children—younger than us, sitting on the floor in a line, cross legged with their backs facing us. They looked native, I think. Other than that, there was something really wrong with those kids. One boy was stick thin. You could see every bone in his body through his skin. The girl had burns all over her body. The other boy had no limbs. They all sat together and contently watched whatever was in front of them. Val and I went and sat behind them to see what they were watching.

There was a bed on the other side of the room. On the bed, was a girl, probably around fifteen. She seemed to be native like those kids, and she was very thin,...naked, and beaten. All her limbs were chained to the bed, and there were two pirates, one on each side of the bed. Ghastly looking pirates indeed! One of them was flogging her with the cat. The other one was on the bed doing...disgusting things to her. Valerie looked away and closed her eyes. I sat there frozen...and afraid, as I watched and listened to this girl scream as those pirates tortured her. When my da' called for us to go, Valerie gave the doll that she had brought with her to the girl with the burns and we left," Jack paused for a moment as he relived those memories.

Anne's eyes were wide, full of fear and shock, and her hands covered her mouth. "That is horrible! How could they do that?!" She gasped, with tears almost filling her eyes.

Jack shook his head and shrugged. "I knew the Code quite well as a lad since my da' is the keeper of it, and all pirates had to follow and abide by the Code. I wasn't exactly sure whether what those pirates were doing to that lass over there was against the Code or not, but that gave me nightmares for months! It was unnerving to me how those kids were just...watching it. Valerie and I swore to never tell anyone about what we saw because we were afraid the family wasn't going to let us go on adventures with them anymore. Anytime we ported at those islands since then, Val and I always requested to stay on the ship."

Jack looked back at Anne again and smiled. "But hey! That was only one story out of the millions of adventures I've had and they were all great! Being out at sea,...it's like a home away from home. Every time I'm out there on a ship, feeling the world rock below me in the waves, the wind on my back, the spray of the sea, the sun beating down on me,...it makes me feel...feel..."

" _Free_?" Anne finished for him.

"...yes...free," Jack looked into her eyes, breathing heavily.

For all those years, he had been struggling to find the words to sum up the feeling that he had. He now finally had a name to it. _Free..._

"I definitely get that," Anne agreed. "I grew up in Europe. My father was English and my mother was French. I'm not sure if it's like this here, but women where I was raised have a ton of restrictions. I was determined to have a proper education, and not without some struggle, I ended up being one of the first women to ever attend University in Britain."

"University?"

"Yes, it's a lot like school."

"School? Never been to one, but I've heard terrible, terrible things about," Jack jokingly said, shaking his head. Anne laughed at his response.

"Well, it's pretty boring, but it's not that bad," she shrugged. "I was so close to completing my education when my parents decided to drop everything and expand their holdings out to the New World. I did not agree to moving out there with them and my sisters at all, so when we moved to Virginia, I parted ways with my family. I told them I left for theatre studies. What I actually left for is adventure...and freedom."

"But wait. How did you get here—to Shipwreck Cove?" Jack questioned.

"Stowed away," Anne replied like it was nothing.

Jack stared off into the distance, still confused about something. "One more question, love. How old are you?"

"Twenty-three," she answered. "How old are you?"

Jack looked back at her, surprised by her age. "Oh, well same as I!"

"Hm...You look pretty young for twenty-three," Anne pointed out, puzzled.

"Oh, you know,...I'm quite known for my baby face," Jack laughed a little.

Anne reached into her crossbody bag she laid in the sand and pulled out a book. She pressed the book against her chest and closed her eyes.

"Before we left Europe, I was also in theatre. I've loved it since I was a little girl. When I was old enough to perform, I was the only girl to act on stage in my town. Shakespeare's work has always been one of my favorites and I always carry this book around to read."

Anne looked down at the book, flipping through the pages. She turned to a certain page and handed the book to Jack. Jack quickly skimmed through the page. It was a scene from Romeo and Juliet. Jack looked up at her as she gestured him to read the page. He cleared his throat and began to read Romeo's part.

_"If I profane with my_

_unworthiest hand_

_This holy shrine, the_

_gentle sin is this,_

_My lips, two blushing_

_pilgrims, ready stand_

_To smooth that rough_

_touch with a tender kiss."_

Anne took the book and laid it in between them. She began to read Juliet's part.

_"Good pilgrim, you do_

_wrong your hand too much,_

_Which mannerly devotion_

_shows in this:_

_For saints have hands that_

_pilgrims' hands do touch,_

_And palm to palm is holy_

_palmers' kiss."_

Jack and Anne continued back and forth. The more they read, the closer their faces drew to each other.

_"Have not saints lips,_

_and holy palmers too?"_

_"Ay, pilgrim, lips that_

_they must use in pray'r."_

_"O then, dear saint,_

_let lips do what hands do,_

_They pray—grant thou,_

_lest faith turn to despair."_

_"Saints do not move,_

_though grant for prayers' sake."_

_"Then move not while my prayer's effect I take..."_

Their lips were just barely an inch apart. Before Jack could finish his line, he went in for the kiss and he was stopped by something in his way. His eyes opened to see Anne smiling, as her finger was pressed against his lips. The skin on her finger felt so soft against his lips.

Anne turned and carefully took off her shoes and stockings. She stood up, picked up her dress, and walked down the beach to the shore, stepping just above ankle deep into the rising and receding water. Jack kicked off his boots and did the same, following her down to the water.

They looked out to the water together as the sun set behind the outer island, and they noticed the tide began to rise. Anne continued to look out at the water when she felt something splash on her leg. She looked over at Jack, who was facing her with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. He was the one who kicked water at her.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked, smirking back and raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," Jack said. He kicked water at her leg again.

"If you do that one more time, you are done, Sparrow!" Anne warned.

Jack stood still for a minute, as if he wasn't going to do anything. He then bent down to the water, dipped his hands in, and threw a large splash at her, making part of her dress wet. Jack straightened back up quickly as he saw her face. Her jaw was agape. She tried to look angry and hide her laughter, but it wasn't working well. She quickly let go of all the fabric in her dress she had all gathered in her arms and grabbed Jack's arm.

"That is it, sir! YOU. ARE. GOING. DOWN!" Anne yelled out as she tried to drag Jack down onto his butt in the water.

"NO! NO!" Jack laughed, resisting her strength as he was being pulled around in circles.

Anne let go of Jack and he stumbled a couple steps back as he laughed. Anne then regained her strength. Instead of trying to drag Jack down again, she went behind his back, and started to push him out towards the sea.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

"I don't give up that easily, Sparrow!"

Her strength was too strong for Jack to resist. Every time he tried to turn, Anne moved a little, keeping him straight on path. Jack was so focused on trying to get out of her grip, he wasn't paying attention to how far out to sea she was pushing him to. Anne picked back up her now soaking wet dress and ran back to shore before Jack could realize where he was.

Jack looked around. He looked by the shore and saw Anne, already all the way down by the beach, laughing and waving at him. He looked down to see he was crotch deep into the water.

"HEY!" Jack exclaimed. He looked back over at Anne, who wasn't laughing anymore. She was still waving, but much more frantically. She was yelling out something he couldn't understand.

Jack looked behind him and his eyes widened when he saw a giant wave, almost a whole foot taller than he was, creeping up on him. It was much too close for him to attempt to run away. The wave slammed down onto him and he disappeared beneath the waves.

Anne gasped and her hands flew to her face. "JACK!"

She looked around, scanning the water for any sign of Jack. He seemed to be nowhere. She began to panic as she called out his name a few more times. Anne then saw something that gave her hope. Further up the shore, Jack's head was barely poking out of the water as he crawled on all fours back to the beach. Anne picked up her dress again and ran back down the water to Jack.

"Jack! Are you okay?!" Anne asked, still nearly panicking as she lent Jack a hand.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine!" Jack coughed as he took her hand and she pulled him up out of the water.

"Oh my! I'm so, so sorry!" Anne frantically apologized, laughing at the same time as she looked up and down at the now dripping Jack.

"Why so sorry, lass? I don't mind an unexpected dip!" Jack laughed, still coughing up water.

They continued to laugh as Anne dusted some sand off of Jack and pulled a string of seaweed off of his belt. Their laughter slowed down into giggles and they looked into each other's eyes. They fell silent as their bodies, and their faces drew closer together. Their lips were barely touching. Jack figured this was finally the right time. He went in further, pressed his lips against hers, and pulled back as quickly as he in. Jack remembered the scene they had read earlier and he finished his line.

_"Thus from my lips,_

_by thine, my sin is purg'd."_

Anne's face lit up. She picked up where they left off.

_"Then have my lips the_

_sin that they have took."_

_"Sin from my lips?_

_O trespass sweetly urg'd!_

_Give me my sin again."_

Jack kissed her again. They slowly closed their eyes as they continued to kiss. Her lips were so soft, he wished he could never let go of them! Jack slowly opened his eyes a little in the middle of their kiss and he swore he could make out the brothel girls poking their heads out from behind some rocks afar, quietly cheering him on. He was too focused on Anne to wonder how those girls got here. He then closed his eyes once again.


	9. Welcome Home

Jack unlocked the door to the Great Chamber and he slowly walked in and quietly closed the door. He tiptoed up the stairs into the living area hoping the family wouldn't be awake. Just his not-so-fortunate luck, the family was indeed awake. More than awake.

The living room and kitchen was filled with pirates, all his family that lived in the home, and some extended family that came to visit. The place was filled with chaos! Tankards and knives flying everywhere and fists were being thrown. Jack groaned as he surveyed the room. In one corner, the little cousins had a drunk "Ace" Brannigan pinned to the floor beating him up. In the middle of the room was Grandmama and "Quick Draw" McFlemming going at it. McFlemming swung her tankard and Grandmama threw knives. One of the knives came towards Jack. He ducked and the knife flew over his head.

"Oh right, it's Saturday night," Jack sighed.

He tried to make his way through the chaos. He spotted Uncle Jack on the couch with a bottle of rum in hand.

"Ey Jacky-boy! Do ye want to hear a joke?" Uncle Jack slurred.

"Is it about the skeleton again?" Jack asked.

"AYE! So a skeleton walks into a ba—"

"Nope! Don't wanna hear it!" Jack cut him off and waved as he walked away. He didn't get two steps in before he had another encounter.

"EN GARDE!" Valerie popped up in front of him, dagger in hand.

"Um, no. Could you wait until the morning to beat your little cousin up?" Jack suggested, yawning and stretching his arms.

"Right here, right now! Face me like a man you coward!" Valerie provoked.

"If you're going to keep telling me that, how about you grow a pair and be one yourself!" Jack snarled. He tried to side-step her, but she did the same, blocking his path.

"YOU'RE A DISGRACE AND A DISAPPOINTMENT TO THE FAMILY! YOU'LL NEVER BE A MAN! YOU'LL NEVER BE MORE THAN TEAGUE'S BLOODY WHELP!" Valerie shouted as she began to throw knives at Jack.

Jack ducked and dodged as he slipped past her. He then felt something pull his arm into the kitchen.

"WHELP OF TEAGUE! I HAVE YET ANOTHER VISION FOR YOU!" It was Mabeltrude the Visionary.

"Does that involve when I get to finally go to bed?" Jack guessed.

Mabeltrude dragged Jack to her little table in the back of the kitchen and sat him down. She laid his hands down on the table facing up. She then sat down, put her hands on top of his, and closed her eyes.

"I see...I see..." Mabeltrude trailed off. She stopped for a long moment as she kept her eyes closed.

"OH, COME ON, OUT WITH IT ALREADY!" Jack cried out, finally losing all patience with his family.

"Flames!...I see flames everywhere!...And also...rum," Mabeltrude predicted.

"That's it?" Jack questioned.

Jack thought this woman was absolutely mad. He remembered when he was eight, Mabeltrude predicted he would nearly burn Grandmama's ship down, consequently forcing her and Teague to lock him in the brig. Mabeltrude's eyes shot open, staring intently into Jack's.

"Also, Teague lied to you," she stated.

"Oh, well that's nothing new! Teague has even lied about my own existence!" Jack snorted.

"Jack."

"What?"

Mabeltrude kept her eyes locked into his. Something about the way she said his name threw him off, knowing everybody in the family has only ever called him "Jackie" or "Teague's whelp". He still didn't know where she was getting at. Mabeltrude looked up at the wall where the clock was, reached under her table, and placed a "closed" sign on the table.

"Time's up!" She got up and walked away, leaving Jack by himself.

"Oh great! Glad to know my whole family can ruin my entire night within just a few short minutes," Jack complained to himself, throwing his arms up in frustration.

Jack stood up and walked by the living room towards the stairs.  _ Finally! To bed! At least there was one person in this family I haven't— _

"Jacky-boy! You're home!"

_ Oh great... _

All the chaos stopped and everyone looked at Teague, who came in nearby Jack out of nowhere.

"The boy finally had his first night out with friends!" Teague grinned as he put an arm around Jack.

The room was silent, with some murmurs here and there amongst the family.

"Are you sure those aren't  _ pity _ friends?" Valerie called out from the crowd.

"You're not really fun to hang out with either, you know!" Jack hissed.

Teague didn't say anything. He looked down at Jack like there was something wrong. He pulled his arm off of him, turned Jack to face him, and put both of his hands on his shoulders as he looked at him up and down.

"Boy,"

"What?"

"You're wet. Why are you wet?"

Jack's eyes went big and his mouth opened a little. He had forgotten he was still cold and damp from the beach earlier. He hesitated for a moment as he struggled to come up with a proper response.

"About that...me and the boys—the boys and I were by the docks earlier rough-housing. You know, like boys do? Things got a bit rough and I...fell off the docks. But I'm fine! Really!" Jack cautiously explained.

Teague laughed as he turned Jack facing back to the crowd and put his arm around him again.

"Da', are you drunk right now?" Jack asked.

"Possibly yes," Teague shrugged. He then turned to the crowd. "You know, when Jackie here was really little, he used to be afraid of water," Teague shared to the family.

"Could you not do baby stories right now?" Jack grumbled irritably.

Teague didn't listen and continued. "Every time I would bring him to the beach and carry him into the water, oh he would kick, scream, and cry! When he started to walk, the little bugger would just run everywhere. When I would bring him on the  _ Troubadour _ , I would have a bucket of water and pour water on the ground around him like a circle so he wouldn't it step on or over it and he wouldn't get into anything."

Some of the people in the crowd cackled a little. Valerie burst out into laughter the loudest.

"Okay, end of story! Could you stop now?!" Jack said impatiently. It was clear the embarrassment was appearing throughout Jack's face.

"Oh no, there's more!" Teague went on ignoring Jack. "There was a point where I've had it with this boy and his stupid fear of water. So one day while out at sea, I pretty much grabbed him and threw the boy off the ship!"

"Did he drown?" Valerie spoke up from the crowd again.

"Actually no," Teague answered. "I was expecting to send someone out to rescue him, or I would have to myself, but he ended up being a really good swimmer, I'll give him that. I regretted it soon after when he would constantly jump off the ship or the dock and I would always have to go and rescue him. I didn't let him go out on the deck for quite awhile because he would always try to escape."

Jack huffed at Teague's story as he rolled his eyes and folded his arms.

"I remember one of the stories the crew used to tell me was when that old pirate asked little five-year-old Jackie how he could swim and dive so well. The boy responded with, 'The mermaids taught me!'" Teague made his voice high pitched on the last part.

Jack fumed as the whole room erupted into screams of laughter.

"OH, COME ON! YOU'RE EMBARRASSING ME IN FRONT OF EVERYONE!" Jack blew up at Teague. The family laughed even harder and Teague chuckled at his own story. Jack's face turned even redder, just about as red as his bandana.

He turned to the rest of the family and screamed. "I HATE YOU!"

He pushed Teague off of him, stormed upstairs to his room, and slammed the door.


	10. Wrath of Teague

Jack didn't get very much sleep at all with his family hooting and hollering downstairs all night. He wiped the guck from his eyes as he slowly walked over to the banister. Downstairs, pirates were sprawled out throughout the living room and kitchen. Any space on the floor where there wasn't a drunken passed out family member of his was empty or spilled alcohol. Jack knew knowing he was probably the only one that wasn't completely hungover, he would have to clean up after them all.

_ Where's Valerie? _ Jack quietly walked over to her room across from his, where her door was slightly cracked open. Through the crack of the door, he could see Valerie sprawled out on her bed, with blankets over her and an arm hanging off the bed. Jack felt a little bit of pain in his stomach and it gurgled. An evil smile spread across his face.

He slowly opened the barely creaking door and tiptoed across her room to her bed. He gently picked up her arm and put it back next to her on the bed, making sure to not wake her up. He lifted the blanket a little, put his behind close to her face, and _....BRRRRRT!  _ He quickly pulled the blanket over her head, tucked it under her mattress, and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He stayed by the door, pulling on the doorknob to keep it shut. After a short minute, he heard a groan, a gag, and yelling.

"OH GOD JAACKIEEEEEEEEE!!!"

Jack couldn't contain his laughter anymore. He howled in laughter as his poor cousin pulled and banged on the door.

"LET ME OUT OF HERE YOU LI'LE SHITE!! I'M DYING!! AHHHHHHHH!" Valerie cried out in between coughs.

Jack held the door shut as tears ran down his red cheeks in a fit of laughter, not noticing someone had come up behind him.

"AHEM!"

Jack quickly stopped laughing and looked up behind him to see a not very happy Teague.

"What are you doin', boy?" Teague grumbled with arms crossed.

Jack looked over at the door. He let go of the doorknob and watched as it swung open. Valerie fell onto her hands and knees. She looked weak from exhaustion, and possibly from the wreaking smell as well. She slowly crawled through the doorway, coughing and gasping for air. Jack burst into laughter again at the sight of Valerie nearly passing out from the stench that was his own.

"Y-your welp...trapped me!" Valerie then dramatically fell onto the floor and laid there limply.

"That is what I call a  _ Dutch oven _ , lassie!" Jack smirked, once again pulling himself back together.

"What are you? A  _ child _ ?" Teague scoffed, looking down at his own disgrace.

"Well, my boons haven't dropped all the way yet, so technically I am," Jack responded.

Teague looked at Jack with increasingly angry eyes. He grunted and shuffled through his own attire, pulling his belt through and out the buckle. Jack knew exactly what this meant. He screamed and ran down the stairs. He couldn't help but laugh a bit at the angry Teague. Halfway down the stairs, his foot got caught on a step and he tumbled down the rest of the way. He sat there on the floor at the bottom of the staircase holding his foot and ankle. Jack looked up and saw a silhouette of his father at the top of the stairs with a belt in his hand.

Jack screamed again and quickly shuffled his way into the kitchen, fighting through the pain in his ankle. He crawled into an empty cabinet and quietly shut the door. He heard footsteps come down the stairs and into the kitchen.

_ Why didn't I just go into my room? Stupid, stupid, stupid!  _ Everything was quiet except for the sound of his own breathing and footsteps coming towards him. He held his breath as the cabinet door quickly flew open and he felt something grab him by the hair.

As much as he should have been afraid at this moment, he always found Teague's hot-headed temper quite amusing, even if it meant he usually came out of it with bruises. This was just horse-play to him compared to the one who he actually feared,...Grandmama. Jack was thrown onto the ground and he felt a few hard smacks from the belt hit his back while he laughed like a maniac.

Teague stopped hitting the boy and stepped away to leave the room. Before he headed out, he turned to Jack, who was still laughing and pulling himself back up.

"Clean up the place. There's a meeting in the Great Chamber at noon," Teague ordered. Before Jack could respond, he added, "and you're coming."

Jack's smirk dropped into a frown. "WHAT?! Why do  _ I _ always have to go to these? I'm not even a pirate lord!"

"It's not just pirate lords that have to show up," Teague explained. "You have to come to these to learn."

"Learn? Then how come Valerie doesn't go to these?! You told me you have more faith in her than you do with me anyway," Jack asserted.

Teague rolled his eyes. "Because,...she's not my child so she doesn't need to go if she doesn't want to, and she doesn't need as much learning as you do."

"Then can I just have Uncle 'Ace' as a dad instead of you?" Jack asked.

"Are you sure you want Valerie as your sister?" Teague pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

Jack's face twisted into a cringe. She was already annoying enough as a cousin. He didn't want to even think about her as a sibling.

"But I don't want to—"

"You're a  _ pirate _ goddamnit! You're coming!" Teague growled before turning his back and storming off.

Jack sighed. He already had to clean up after a bunch of hungover pirates in the morning, go to see Borya Palachnik to do chores on one of the  _ Koldunyas _ in the afternoon, and he also now had to squeeze this meeting in between. He was also hoping to see Anne that evening. He wiped his brow just under his bandana with his sleeve and began to limp on his hurting ankle to the living room, which the family had finally mostly cleared out of, to begin the cleanup.

The meeting in the Great Chamber had already commenced for about fifteen minutes and Jack had still not come down. Jack never liked going to those meetings. They were never that important and it was mainly the locals that would show up. He still didn't get why he always had to be dragged down there with Teague. In protest, Jack always showed up late, or sometimes not even showing up at all. On the days he showed up, he acted out as much as he could to get on Teague's nerves.

Jack showed up down the stairs, purposely with a loud thud, and everyone turned their heads and looked at him.

"Not to fret, everyone. I am here!" Jack proudly announced. He saw Teague who was also looking at him with a disapproving glare. Jack took notice of the empty seat next to Teague and limped over. "Well look at that! You saved a seat for me. You shouldn't have!"

Jack sat down next to Teague and looked at everyone at the table, who were all still staring at him in silence. "What are you all looking at? Come on now! Carry on with the meeting!" Jack then crossed his arms and sat quietly.

The pirate who was rudely interrupted glared at Jack for a few seconds longer before proceeding with where he left off.

As the meeting dragged on, Jack got more and more bored. He picked dirt out from under his fingernails as he listened to different people ramble on. He ran his fingers along the table over some nasty curse words he had scratched into the wood throughout his young life.

With his right hand, he put his finger tips on the table with his hand straight up. He then lifted his middle finger up towards the inside of his hand. He lifted his thumb and pinky and began to rub on his middle finger. His whole hand resembled some...well...disgusting act. Jack smirked a little and took his other hand and put his index and middle finger straight onto the table. His right hand "walked", with the index and ring finger as legs, and stuck the middle one between the two fingers on his left hand. He then proceeded to move his finger in and out and let out a small, high-pitched moan. Teague smacked him on the arm and quietly growled at him to stop. Jack quickly hid his hands under the table and sat up straight.

Jack started to play with his fingers again. He pulled on each of his fingers and cracked some of his joints. He counted his fingers while making noises. "Duuurrrrr.....doooohhh...daahhh—"

Teague smacked Jack on the arm again and snarled through gritted teeth. "Shut it, boy! We're pirates goddamnit!"

Jack twitched his head and muttered some swear words under his breath. Teague smacked his arm once more.

Teague stood up to speak. In the middle of a sentence, a loud grumble erupted throughout the room. Everyone looked around the room trying to figure out where the noise came from. Teague looked down at Jack who was looking down at his stomach.

"My stomach seems to be telling me that I'm hungry," Jack said.

"Well, tell your stomach to shut up. We'll eat after the meeting," Teague rebuked.

Teague began to speak to the room again when Jack's stomach interrupted the meeting the second time.

"But Teague, I'm hungry!" Jack complained.

"I told you you'll get food after the meeting," Teague hissed.

Jack then leapt off his seat onto the floor on his hands and knees. "P-please! I haven't eaten in forever and I'm starving to death!" Jack begged.

All the pirates in the room stared at the two. With Jack's frame being quite...scrawny, they all could have easily mistaken Jack to actually be unfed and starving to death.

"And I can't get the food myself. My ankle still hurts too much from when I fell down the stairs because of you!" Jack whined.

Teague growled a little and squeezed his hands into fists. He looked back at the room full of pirates, who were all glaring at him like he was a monster. He then breathed a sigh as he relaxed his fists.

"Meeting adjourned," Teague said flatly.

Jack sat on the  _ Koldunya _ 's railing, with one leg hanging over the other side, loosening and retying the riggings. Borya stepped over to Jack and surveyed his work.

"You done good work today, boy," Borya praised.

Jack always enjoyed Borya's praise. Not looking up, he smiled a bit and replied. "Thanks," Jack finished a knot and looked over to Borya. "I'm heading out after I'm finished here."

"To where?"

"With some mates."

"Mates? Friends?" Borya blinked. He was stunned to hear Jack talk about friends. Jack was never known to make or keep relationships.

"Aye," Jack said, starting another knot.

Borya leaned in closer to Jack and lowered his voice. "It's a lass, da?"

Jack stopped and stared at Borya for a moment. "Err, yes," he answered quickly before continuing with the knot.

"Ah. No shame in that, Jack-boy," Borya reassured.

"Yes,...no shame in that until Teague finds out," Jack said.

"How about we keep it between us, da?"

Jack looked at Borya again. He smiled a little and nodded.

"You say you consider her...girlfriend?" Borya asked.

"I suppose," Jack shrugged. He had only been out with the girl for one night and he wasn't sure of what she thought of it.

Borya smiled, showing all his small white teeth. "You are smart boy. You'll take good care of the lady." Borya dropped a small pouch of coins in Jack's hands, ruffled his hair, and went down the gangplank and the docks.

Jack finished the knot, and not a moment too soon, Anne came down the dock.

"Jack!" Anne called out.

Jack's face lit up as he waved. Like always, Anne looked absolutely stunning. Jack swung his leg that was hanging over the railing back around, hopped back on the deck, and went down the gangplank to the girl.


End file.
